Alumni
Grad Valerie Lozano Launches Online Women's Apparel and Accessories Store
Starting out in Del Rio, Texas, Valerie Lozano traveled extensively throughout California due to her father’s military career then attended San Pedro High School in Los Angeles before eventually landing at FIDM to earn an A.A. in Merchandise Product Development in 2006. After 10 years working in sales, successfully launching products in well-known retail stores such as Nordstrom, Sephora, and Macy’s, the grad started a consulting business in 2017, and now, in 2022, is coming full circle with the debut of Sunnylish, a women’s apparel and accessories online store. We followed up to learn more.
Please tell us about your company, Sunnylish. Sunnylish is my online store featuring women’s clothing, crystals, and fun accessories. I launched my first two collections in the last few months (Aug/Sept): “Boho Dreamer,” featuring kimonos and bralettes for simple yet stylish looks that transition well to Fall, and then “Crystal Goddess Collection,” which are unique gift boxes of crystals based on intention. These are great to add to your meditation practice or to have displayed on your desk as a reminder of your goal.
In addition to my online store, Sunnylish has a closet on Poshmark. I started out on Poshmark about a year ago, and grew my closet and following to over 70k prospect customers. In the last 6 months or so, I started doing consignment for clients. This has been fun, and a great way to help others generate extra income with old clothes collecting dust in their closets. In the upcoming months, I plan to expand my assortment on Sunnylish and continue to grow the consignment portion of my business.
What inspired you to start Sunnylish? My son, Sonny inspired me to create Sunnylish. He was only a few months old when Sunnylish was born. At the time I had my consulting business and wanted to create something new! I have always wanted to create my own brand of clothing & accessories, and thought the best way for me to get my feet wet was to launch my own online store selling cool unique finds. My site has been live for almost 2 months, and I am learning so much about the digital space which is something I have been wanting to tackle for some time. My background is in retail. I have helped many brands launch their products in major and mass retailers. It's about time I create my own line to sell. I would love to add kids clothing sometime soon. I already have a cute model.
What are your ultimate goals for your business? My ultimate goal is to create my own brand of clothing and accessories. As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to create my own line. Whether that be with Sunnylish or another brand I create, I am confident I have the knowledge and perseverance to make it happen. I love creating and to see things go from an idea to completion is very rewarding. Also, I really enjoy helping others with their businesses. I would love to offer a program and provide support to young entrepreneurs.
How did FIDM help prepare you for your career? FIDM helped prepare me for my career by giving me the opportunity to explore. When I first applied to attend FIDM, I was torn between Merchandise Product Development and Merchandising & Marketing. I ended up choosing Product Development. I felt it was a good mix of both worlds (product and marketing). While attending FIDM, I had the opportunity to volunteer at many different events in the fashion industry while working various retail jobs and this trend continued throughout my career. I started out in apparel, then joined a sunless tanning brand, spent some time representing a supplement brand, then went out on my own in 2017 with my consulting business helping beauty brands. I had an aha moment not too long ago when I realized that I am right back to where I started, in apparel. It's funny how things come full circle.
Anything else you’d like to share? I would love to invite all FIDM students and alumni to shop my store and save 25% off their order with the discount code FASHION. Limit is one use per customer, and this code will be valid through the month of November.
Check out Sunnylish on Instagram and Facebook @shop_sunnylish or at their website www.sunnylish.com.
Categories: Merchandise Product Development Alumni
